This story is a part of KERA Health Check-ups. More information is available at the end of the article.
Unused or expired medications can pose a potential hazard to people and the environment – a KERA listener wants to know how and where to properly dispose of medications.
Safe medication disposal can help prevent accidental poisoning and substance misuse. Public health officials and pharmacists recommend regularly checking all medications – including over-the-counter drugs – to make sure they’re still safe to use and are needed.
“Medication safety doesn't necessarily end when the prescription is finished,” said Carlos Irula, vice president of the Dallas Area Pharmacy Association and the pharmacy director for the St. Vincent de Paul Pharmacy. “As a pharmacist, we spend a lot of time helping people get medications they need, but we also want to make sure that those medications don't necessarily become a risk once they're no longer being used.”
Irula said unused medications can accidentally be ingested by children, pets or even other adults. He said simply taking a few minutes to look through medicine cabinets, purses, backpacks, desks and other places, can make people’s homes much safer for themselves and their loved ones.
“At the end of the day, the goal is simple,” Irula said. “It’s just to keep medications helping people and not harming them…. Keep what you need and safely donate what you can, safely dispose of what you can’t.”
Medication take-back programs
Public health officials and pharmacists recommend utilizing a drug take-back program whenever possible.
“That's always the first recommendation because it's the safest and the simplest way to medications out of your home and not into the wrong hands,” Irula said.
Medication take-back programs can take several different forms – but typically focus on medications that come in pills, tablets or patches.
Irula said governmental agencies, like fire or public health departments, will sometimes participate in drug take-back day events – where temporary locations are set up in communities across the nation. The events are organized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, or DEA, and offer a free, anonymous drop-off opportunity in the spring and fall every year.
Some pharmaceutical companies also offer medication mail-in programs – which allow people to mail unwanted, unused or expired medications to the company to safely dispose.
Irula also said many pharmacies, hospitals and clinics have medication drop boxes. For example, most Walgreens have a medication disposal box located near their pharmacies.
While medication donation programs are less common, Irula said there’s at least one program that’s accessible to Texans where people can donate unused medications.
Irula said MediCircleRx.com accepts mail-in medication donations that it will redistribute – but it doesn’t accept cold products, like insulin, or controlled substances.
Other disposal options
If someone doesn’t have access to a medication take-back program, Dr. Phillip Huang, the director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, said certain medications – which are outlined in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, flush list – with “really high abuse risks” can be flushed down the toilet.
“But that’s the last resort,” Huang said.
However, flushing medications can lead to environmental impacts, according to Huang.
“It can get these chemicals into water way systems and even sometimes drinking water supplies,” he said. So, it's just really important to dispose of them properly.”
If a medication is not on the FDA flush list, the federal agency outlines the best practices for throwing medications out in the trash:
- Remove medications from their original containers
- Mix medications with an unappealing substance – like dirt, cat litter or used coffee ground – making sure not to crush any tablets or capsules
- Place the mixture in a container, like a sealed plastic bag
- Place the sealed bag in household trash
- Scratch out all personal information on prescription packaging before recycling the container or tossing it in the trash
However, there are different recommendations for medications that aren’t liquid or pills. Huang said for syringes, people should use a heavy-duty, puncture-resistant plastic or metal container.
“Don’t use glass jars or aluminum cans or clear plastic water bottles,” he said. "Label it clearly ‘sharps, do not recycle’ on the outside of the container.”
Once the sharps container is about three quarters of the way full, Huang said to securely close the container and put tape around the lid or opening to seal it before placing it in the household trash.
For gels, ointments and aerosol medications, Huang said they can be placed in a puncture-resistant container and sealed – like syringes.
If people are unsure of how to properly dispose of a medication, Irula said they can talk to a local pharmacist or pharmacy employee.
“That would be the first place I'd call or go to if it's within a good distance from you,” he said. “They're usually pretty friendly, just ask. That's probably your best resource when it comes to any medication type of question.”
This story was inspired by a KERA audience member as part of KERA Health Check-ups. Health Check-ups are designed to answer KERA listener questions about health topics and make the complicated world of health policy and access more understandable. If you have a question for our health reporter or want to help shape KERA's health coverage, fill out this form.
